French island territory affected by Cyclone Chido

The French territory of Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean, has been hit by the worst cyclone to hit the islands in almost a century.

At least two people were reportedly killed when Cyclone Chido made landfall on Saturday, causing wind gusts of more than 225 km/h (140 mph), and more are feared dead.

A local official told French media that the island’s shanty town had been “completely destroyed”, while French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he feared a “high” death toll.

French President Emmanuel Macron said France would “be there” for the people of Mayotte, while French officials said 250 firefighters and security personnel would be sent to the islands, with some already arriving.

Located northwest of Madagascar, Mayotte is an archipelago made up of a main island, Grand-Terre, and several smaller islands.

Even before the cyclone hit in full force on Saturday morning, there were reports of uprooted trees, roofs ripped off buildings and downed power lines.

The head of Mayotte’s firefighters union, Abdoul Karim Ahmed Allaoui, told the BFM news channel on Saturday morning that “even emergency services are blocked.”

He continued: “There is no cell phone service and we cannot communicate with the people on the island.

“Not even buildings built according to anti-seismic standards have been able to resist.

“The emergency services command center has been evacuated and is operating at partial capacity.”

The island’s Pamandzi airport “suffered significant damage, especially to the control tower,” acting French Transport Minister Francois Durovray wrote in X.

Air traffic “will initially be restored with military aid aircraft. Ships are on the way to ensure resupply,” he added.

Mr. Retailleau wrote in a statement on A second shipment will arrive “It will be done tomorrow with 140 additional people.”

French Prime Minister François Bayrou, who took office on Friday, said the cyclone was of “exceptional severity” and that he was being briefed on the situation “hour by hour.”

Mayotte was initially placed under purple alert – the highest level – and a “strict lockdown was imposed for the entire population, including emergency services.” It has since been reduced to red to allow emergency services to leave their bases.

The cyclone is also expected to hit Mozambique, on the African continent.